Egg packing mechanism



July 7, 1931. w. w. cEcn.

EGG PACKING MEcHANrsM Filed oct. 1o, 192s vwentoz WARRENW Geen.

Patented July 7, 1931 WARREN W. CECIL, F IDIXON, CALIFORNIA EGG PACKINGMECHANISM Application-filed October 10, 1928. Serial No. 311,456.

.15 tion or main chamber having separably disposed therein a packermechanism having associated therewith means for conveying the eggsdisposed in their illersfrom such collector means to a shipping cratewithout re- .20 handling same, or forthe 'operation of transferring eggswithin the compartmented fillers from one shipping case or crate toanother, exclusive of the use of packing chambers, obviating the injuryto the hands of the packer, eliminating breakage, and providingsubstantially a single functioning device to perform ,.a multiplicity ofsteps involved in known methods.

The object of the invention resides in the 30 providing of a light anddurable carrier made of sheet metal, provided with a central packingcompartment that may be carried with ease during the gathering of eggs,said carrier being also provided with compartments into 35 which anumber of fillers may be placed during the gathering of the eggs, andemployed Within the packing compartment as needed. Said packingcompartment may have any desired capacity, and when filled is carried to0 the point of crating, the carrier is then released therefrom and saidpacking structure is depended within such packing case, vand thesupporte-r releasing means is actuated to cause all of the compartmentedfillers with eggs in 5 proper juxtaposition to be deposited Within l theshipping crate, without the aid of additional handling and eliminatingentirely any possible injury to the operators manually actuating thestructure.

Another and further object of the invention and its use thereofcontemplates a simplified method of collecting or gathering and crating,eggs for commercial use. In one embodiment the carrier is taken to thesource of gathering eggs, and during the time of packing andassortingthe eggs, disposed within the compartmented filler means, until therequired number are obtained (eliminating in this instance a secondhandling) thence carried to the shipping source and packed within thecrates or containers to receive same by merely a single operation, thatof releasing the packing compartment forming structure, to dispose itscontents within said crate, likewise eliminating one .or more handlingof the eggs, obviating entirely breakage at the final point of handlingand packing, and removing from the known methods the injury to the handsof the operatives.

In the following, I describe the general embodiment and nature of .theinvention the features thereof being more particularly definedhereinafter in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. l is a vertical section View of the egg carrier,showing the packing chamber Vor compartment provided with a series offillers and illustrating the relative position of the device during thetime the same is employed to collect or gather the eggs at the point orsource of supply; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier andthe generalstructure as employed as an .egg collector and packing unit, and Fig. 3,is a detail vertical sectional view of one of the corner supports of thepacking compartment means, showing the positioning means in itsretaining position and illustrating the specific mechanism arranged foractuation to dispose the collect- Aed eggs within a part of or all 0fthe reception space of the usual or general type of packing casesemployed for egg packing and sho ping purposes.

imilar numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

In the drawings l designates a carrier receptable of portable size andform having formed therein a main collector compartment 2 and auxiliarycompartments or pockets 3 and 4 adapted to receive a quantity ofbreakdown packing fillers of the type commonly employed in the knownmethods of packing eggs for commercial handling and shipment, togetherwith a handle 5 and holding clips 6 for retaining the carrier stationaryas a unit during the moment of withdrawing the packing structuretherefrom.

The packing structure comprises a rectangular frame 7 of any suitablematerial and consists of four tubular posts 8 fastened to said frame 7arranged to set normally within the collector compartment 2. Each ofsaid posts 8 have mounted therein rods 9 provided at their upper endswith caps 10 between which and the attaching sleeves 11 of frame 7 aredisposed expansive springs 1 2 arranged as the means of controlling thepositions of said rods 9 in said tubes 8, said rods 9 having pivotallymounted on their lower ends fingers 18 arranged to form the removablesupporting means for the series of flats or compartmented iillers 14into which the eggs are gathered and shipped. Rods 9 have cut thereinone or more notches 15 as may be required, and said sleeves 11 of frame7 have pivoted therein at 16, pawls 17 engaged by iiat springs 18 forholding said pawls 17 in sliding contact with said rods 9 and when allthereof are in their set positions with relation to said rods providethe position of the packing structure during the moment of collectingthe eggs and likewise the moment of retaining the collected packed eggsinto position for disposing same within the final com-V inercialshippingcontainer or case or crate.

A strap 19 is disposed within compartment 2 and the ends thereof allowedto engage the sides of carrier 1, its object being to provide meansadapted to act as additional support across the bottom layer of iats 14during the moment of depositing the racked eggs within the shippingcrate. i

The position of the packing structure shown in Figs. 1 and 3 constitutesthe position of same during the egg gathering period and when therequirednninber are gathered, said collector structure is lwithdrawnfrom carrier 1 and the element as a unit projected within the packingcase, pawls 17 actuated to permit springs 12 to thrust rods 9 upwardlycarrying therewith fingers 13 and permitting the ,gathered eggs incompart mented flats 14 to rest within the packing case, thence saidpacking structure is withdrawn from said case or crate, the fingers 13reset by thrusting rods 9 downwardly until pawls engage notches 15 toreset all mechanism, thence disposed within compartment 2 of the carrier1 and the method of gathering the eggs resumed.

By causing the device to function in the manner described hereinabove,it is apparent lthat several needless handlings of the eggs areeliminated, in fact the only handling of the eggs necessary in carryingont the invention is the initial one that of collecting the eggs fromthe nests, and another and material fault found in the packing of eggsfor commercial shipment is entirely obviated, that of causing injury tothe hands of packers in their slow and costly methods of depositingseparate layers of eggs within walls of a shipping crate. Seriousresults are known in connection with present day methods of packing, oneof the most important ones being the barking of skin upon the hands ofoperators who have been known to require medical attention immediatelyafter completing one o r two crates of eggs for commercial shipment. A

The invention may be practiced in the manner asset forth or it may bevaried in many ways without departin from the 4general scope of themethod and structure as is herein shown, described and claimed.

Thr-.t is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of theUnited States is 1. An egg packing mechanism comprising a supportingstructure consisting of vertically disposed members, a frame connectingsaid members arranged to form the housing for a series of compartmentedfillers carrying a quantity of packed eggs, means disposed in saidmembers for holding Vsaid packed compartmented fillers in said housing,and means for releasing said holding means to dispose said packed eggswithin a packing case.` n

2. A device of the character described comprising a supporting structureconsisting of vertically disposed retaining members and a frameconnecting said member to form la packer mechanism, thrust rodsoperative in said retaining members, supporting fingers mounted on thelower ends of said rods, springs mounted on said rods engaging saidretaining members controlling the relative positions of said supportingfingers, cams pivotally mounted on said frame engaging means on saidrods adapted to hold said fingers in their operative and inoperativepositions, manually controlled means for setting said fingers intoposition to support a series of egg packing iiats and separators,andmeans whereby when said packer mechanism is disposed in an egg crateand said cams released said springs ret-urn said fingers withsaidretaining members and desposits said packed unit of eggs within saidcratewithout handling.

3. A. device of the character described including an egg packingmechanism consisting of a unity structure composed of corner Yessupporting posts, a series of connecting rods ,e

uniting said struc-tare int-o a supporting frame, thrust rods disposedin said posts, springs engaging said rods and posts, gripping supportingfingers pivotally mounted in the lower ends of saidrods and operativewithin said posts, cams mounted in said frame adapted to engage stops insaid rods for holding said ngers in their projected supporting positionto receive a series of separators and Compartmented egg flats into whicheggs are packed for shipment and means permitting the manual dispositionof said packer unit Within an egg crate and when said cams are releasedpermit said springs to Withdraw said lingers Within said posts todeposit said packed eggs lwithin said crate and thereby eliminate thehandling of said eggs and the means of compartmenting same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this29th day of August 1928.

WARREN W. CEGIL.

